


Ranger's Oath Part 1: Growing Pains

by JDLouis



Series: Ranger's Oath [1]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pokemon Ranger
Genre: Adventure, Childhood Friends, Exploration, Family Feels, Flashbacks, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-17
Updated: 2021-03-02
Packaged: 2021-03-14 19:36:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 17,674
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28800684
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JDLouis/pseuds/JDLouis
Summary: With four years’ service in the Hoenn Ranger Corps, Petty Officer Matthew Davis is no stranger to the odd and dangerous. Opting for the naval sect of the Rangers, Matt is accompanied by his identical twin with which he shares a psychic connection to. Rendered mute by a ‘horrific accident’, Matt is the voice for not only himself, but also his twin brother, with whom he can communicate telepathically. Their brotherly bond, strong as steel, is matched only by their virtue to see the world they share a better place for all.At least, that’s the story he tells everyone.Beneath the black tinted sunglasses and grizzled exterior of Matt’s brother lies a massive secret. A Latios, blended so well into human society, he could leave even the most psychically adept amongst the world none the wiser. While most of what Matt tells of his story is true, their work within the Ranger’s is simply a means to an end. For reasons unknown, Latios has been unable to locate any of his kind since he was about 10 years old, leaving the duo to think that maybe he might be the last of his kind, and they wish to see if that's truly the case.Steel your hearts and tighten your boots, ranger, for the primal wilds of Hoenn take no prisoners.
Series: Ranger's Oath [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2111628
Kudos: 3





	1. Prologue: Life in the Wilds

**Author's Note:**

> Hello and good evening everyone! The time that I've been raving about in my other works has finally come, and I present to you now this work that I've been writing since June. With 25 chapters and over 100,000 words, this story is merely the beginning of a long journey I intend to take with this idea. I truly hope you gather as much enjoyment our of reading this story as I had writing it, and it's truly been a blast.
> 
> Unfortunately, the release schedule will most likely be slow. While all the chapters are done, there are still a lot of edits I wish to do on each chapter before I post them in their entirety, and in that regard all I ask is patience. Otherwise, my pre-story ramblings are done, and I wish you an excellent reading experience. I present to you: Ranger's Oath.

I sat there upon the precipice of a large rock, overlooking the grand beauty that was the Fortree River. The pungent scent of rain water evaporating out of the soil in the midsummer sun lingered in the air from the day before, laying heavily on the lungs. Strong heat pulled the thin plumes of steam into the air where they dispersed into the winds that whisked them away high above the tree canopies. Sweat caked dirt hardened on my head and hands left me yearning to jump into the river that spanned itself in front of me. Yet despite all of these rather uncomfortable conditions, it was still not enough to erode my enthusiasm at the beautiful sight before me that blessed my vision. This particular spot was one of dozens that I held in a mental bank of sightseeing wonders that I have come across in my many travels since becoming a ranger.

However this was no ordinary spot. Of all the spots that I have committed to memory, I would always think fondest of this one. With it’s gorgeous vista and beautiful view of the river, this spot was the gold standard by which I measured every other I’ve since come across. I could never really put my finger on why exactly I was drawn to this area in particular, as there are many other places with views even more breathtaking than this one. Whatever the reason, much in the same manner that a soldier thinks fondly of home, I would think fondly of this spot. It’s only natural, seeing as rangers hardly have a place they can truly call their home. Living in the wilds means the world in its entirety becomes your sleeping bag, and the thick overhanging jungle branches your roof. No matter the reasoning this particular place took my heart, I always tried to make my way here at every chance I could.

It isn’t easy finding an excuse to move this far inland when most of your work is done primarily at sea though, but I happened to be on a special assignment that needed to be urgently filled, the boring details of which I will spare you from. Topographic and biodiversity studies of the tropical west wilds of Hoenn were a complete change of pace from marine research and indexing, so I took the opportunity without hesitation. Extra pay and brownie points with those higher up the command chain than me were cherries on top of this exploration sundae. Plus, seeing as this river was effectively a chasm that split the entire region into west and east, finding an excuse to make my way back here was hardly a challenge, given the assignment. Taking this job truly was an overwhelming win by every sense of the words.

The sleek fur ball that had seen to use my lap as a pillowcase shifted and adjusted before dozing back into her slumber. No adventure is ever complete without having those you love by your side, and Vaporeon had most definitely been there the longest. Not that she had much of a choice, as I’ve had her long before pokéballs were a reasonable commodity for the average person to have. It wouldn’t seem right to throw her in one now, especially since I’ve had her out of one ever since I was a young child, so a free-range travel companion she became. Her overwhelming love for any aquatic environment had also made for some very useful skill sets during our research and travels. Being able to communicate many interesting things with her has been an invaluable asset with regards to gathering important information, a skill my direct superior has made abundantly clear he is particularly fond of.

Now, I know what you’re thinking. Talking to a pokémon? This man is either off his rocker or off his meds. To that, I would say, you are absolutely right. However I, much like anyone else, cannot talk to most pokémon, with the exception of one very close, very special pokémon that has been with me almost as long as Vaporeon has. A wing-man, both literally and figuratively, serves as my translator; the bridge between the world of pokémon and the world of man, using my mind as a medium. A myth of grand proportions, sung about in endless folklore ballads of ancient tribes, and even worshipped by a handful of others. Their gifts of immense speed and gracefulness could put even the most technologically advanced sky soaring machines to shame. With intelligence to rival that of geniuses, and vitality to match that of the stars in the sky, there is little out of reach for the likes of my brother.

And we’re going to mess with him.

He doesn’t realize it yet, but I caught a faint sound of him rustling around in the tree branches above me, probably getting ready to pull who knows what kind of prank on me as revenge for earlier. While I applaud his creativity for whatever it’s worth, his methods are often much too obvious, allowing me to see incoming gags and pranks from miles away. This usually only leads to him only getting more frustrated and trying harder the next time, continuing in a self-fulfilling circle until he either gives up, or actually manages to catch me off guard. Throwing a wrench into his ideas would often get this death spiral spinning faster, and so I can hardly resist the urge to partake whenever the opportunity presents itself.

So in typical fashion, it was time to indulge. While waking Vaporeon from her beauty sleep would most likely make her inconceivably angry at me, the chance to outmaneuver him was too much to pass up. I hoisted her up with both my arms, setting her to the side as she kicked and hissed much to her discontent. Pretending to stretch my arms and legs, I began to kneel myself up, ‘accidentally’ slipping on the ‘wet’ rock. Forcing myself forwards, I lost my footing as well as my balance, quickly tipping over the precipice of the rock. In free fall for only a short moment, I found myself staring down at the steep rocky cliff face that ended in a rushing river below. A weird feeling, as if someone was grabbing a hold of my belt, caused me to stop in mid air as my body lurched forward, hanging and bouncing in mid air like a yoyo. After a brief delay, I was pulled back and thrown back on to solid ground like a floundering fish, my sight meeting the intense ruby eyes of my trusted companion.

“ _You almost fell, you klutz._ ” His resounding voice echoed within my mind.

“I _did_ fall, and it was all part of the plan.” I smiled, beginning to giggle as his expression soured into one of disgruntled disappointment.

“ _There’s no way you knew I was here!_ ” He scoffed.

“I heard you rustling in the branches long before I threw myself off the rocks you oaf!”

“ _I wasn’t in the tree..._ ”

My smile was quickly wiped off my face, feeling my eyes go wide.

“Wait, what?”

“ _It wasn’t me in this tree._ ”

Quickly Pushing myself to my knees and back on to my feet, I looked up into the thick tree branches, where some rustling continued even as my brother levitated by my side.

“Uhh...”

Rolling his eyes, he levitated a small stone off the ground, hurling it up into the tree where a duo of startled tailows frantically flew out of the vegetation and into the sky. I turned back around, and gave an awkward smile.

“Oops.”

“ _To think you almost got yourself killed over a prank._ ” He sighed, shaking his head.

“Hey, maybe if you were willing to put that much on the line for _your_ shenanigans, you might actually be able to get me.”

While he floated out of sight as I walked toward the base of the tree, I could feel his disappointment radiating from behind me, which only fueled my childish giggling. With a deep breath, I kneeled over and sat myself at the base of the tree, right next to my large backpack that laid on its side. Sunlight shone and shimmered through the tree branches, reflecting off of my brother's long blue wings and pristinely white body. My brother by choice, was none other than a Latios.

If anyone who had ever lived in the Hoenn region for more than a year stumbled across this sight of us under the tree right there, they would probably think they were having some sort of fevered dream. Telling anyone that your closest friend was a Latios would get you written off as a madman on a good day, and thrown into a loony bin on a bad one. Nobody would ever believe you, and all of them would say that there is no possible chance in hell that you are friends with one of their kind. With as rare as they are, they may as well not even exist to the normal person, which begs the question of why in the hell would they even decide to associate themselves with a loser like myself in the first place.

To that sentiment, I agree wholeheartedly.

And yet, here we are.

“ _I do not need to be risky to have my revenge. Unlike you, **I** can be patient._” He stated firmly with a grin, floating his way down over to me. Gently, he lowered himself down across my legs, casting his vision off to the sprawling tree canopies that filled the horizon.

“Any luck?”

“ _What do you think?_ ”

Softly, I began running my fingers across the top of his neck, his fine coat feeling smooth like he had taken a swim in the sea not long ago, “You’ll find them eventually.”

“ _You say that every time._ ”

“Well, I wouldn’t say it if I didn’t mean it, would I?”

“ _People say what they don’t mean all the time._ ”

“Yeah, but you could tell if _I_ was lying, so there wouldn’t be much of a point in it now, would there?”

With a deep breath, he let out a huff from his nostrils, “ _I suppose you’re right..._ ”

"Cheer up. They’re out there somewhere.”

“ _That does not stop the discouragement from piling up. I just want to know that I am not alone._ ”

Unsure of what words I could come up with to comfort him, we sat in mutual silence, taking in the scenery that sprawled endlessly before us for a few long moments.

“Probably for the best, honestly.” I finally piped up.

“ _I beg your pardon?_ ”

“Think about it. If you met more of your own kind, you wouldn’t have any reason to talk with little ol’ me.”

“ _Don’t be ridiculous._ ”

“You’re going to get swept off your feet by a nice young lady in red, leaving me to be the weird uncle that sits in the corner at all the family parties.”

“ _I don’t have feet._ ”

“And she’s going to have a fun time keeping your leash tight, too.” I continued, poking the top of his head, “You’ll look back on this day and think ‘You know what, damn. Matt was right. I should have just-’”

Latios brought one of his arms up and jabbed his elbow hard into my stomach, cutting my ridiculous monologue short. I pulled my hands from him, holding my stomach as he began to float slowly off of my lap.

“ _You don’t even believe your own words._ ”

“Took you that long to figure out, huh?”

“ _It’s more fun listening to your untruthful ramblings._ ” He smiled.

“Untruthful is right. I’d never let a woman steal you.” I smiled back.

With a sigh, he rolled his eyes at me, “ _Let us go. I’d rather not be out past dark._ ”

“You aren’t even going to tell me what you found?” I complained, pushing myself to my feet.

“ _More of the same, as with everything. Most birds are still up north with the exception of those native to here. Almost every pokémon waits out the midday heat in the shade. Berries grow aplenty and everything is wet as hell. Nothing changes, so I’m not really sure what new developments you expect to gain from this._ ”

“Hey, it’s not my choice, alright? Take it up with the eggheads at the institute.”

“ _As if they could bring their attention away from their researches long enough to care._ ”

“No kidding...” I sighed. Shifting my sight to the cliffside, my eyes were met with the scene of Vaporeon rolling around in a patch of damp dirt.

“See if _she_ has anything new to share. I need to make sure we still have all our stuff.” I pointed towards her, chuckling as she flopped about like a goofball. With a suspicious glare, he turned and slowly floated away, his movement greeted with a less than favorable stare from Vaporeon. Having full knowledge of the shenanigans that would soon unfold, I pulled my bag away from the tree so that I could watch what would ensue as I organized everything.

Laying flat on her back, Vaporeon continued her unimpressed stare as Latios slowly came upon her. Going through my mental checklist of all that should be in my bag, I could faintly hear her saying something to Latios between the sounds of me rummaging my bag. Their banter continued for a few moments as I checked off every last item on the list, stopping only when I zipped everything shut and heaved the heavy bag over my shoulders. Still in the same position, she saw me donning the backpack, a naughty grin curling upon her lips. With the last strap tightened, she turned up to Latios and nailed him right in square in the face with a small water gun, quickly turning on to her feet and galloping at a pace towards me while Latios was busy trying to wipe the water away. Before he could even realize what had happened, Vaporeon was already innocently rubbing herself along my legs, making sure to share some of the dirt that had accumulated in her coat.

“You got a little something there on your face.”

Latios immediately glared intensely at me, “ _I’ll never understand why you encourage her!_ ”

“Call it even for the sucker punch.” Chuckling, I motioned for him to follow, “Let’s get a move on, I’m starving.”

Reluctantly, he levitated over to my side as we began the trek through the small path that cut through the vast undergrowth. Rustling and noises filled the bush all around us. Keeping a vigilant eye out for any bug pokémon, I quickly scanned the vegetation around us as I walked.

“ _Vaporeon said the rivers are still quite populated. Schools of magikarp and carvanha alike are numerous in both the river and the nearby deltas. She believes it must be egg laying season._ ”

“See, there’s something new and exciting! I assume you didn’t mess with them considering you’re still in one piece?” I asked, casting a glance to Vaporeon who trotted steadily behind us.

“ _And what of you, Captain Klutz? Find anything that caught your eyes that wasn’t just the view?_ ”

“One could say I looked around some...”

“ _So you didn’t._ ”

“Hey, it’s not like I can realistically do anything. You two are far more efficient than I could ever hope to be, and I’d sooner be caught dead than trying to wrangle and count bug pokémon.”

“ _I still don’t understand your morbid fear of those little things._ ”

"Not afraid, just don’t like 'em. Plus, I’d take a beautiful scene over dealing with bug pokémon any day of the week.”

“ _Excuses._ ”

“Damn right, and I’ll keep using it as an excuse as long as we’re out here.”

“ _I’ll also never understand your obsession with that river._ ”

“Hey, what’s not to love about it?”

“ _It’s a river. Nothing special._ ”

“To you, maybe. To me, that river is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. I don’t understand how you couldn’t love it quite frankly.” I shrugged.

“ _Because our worlds are very different. What is unique to you is one of thousands to me._ ”

“Well we can’t all be as gifted as you now, can we?”

“ _I’m not that gifted_.”

I cast an exhausted glare at him, “You can’t be serious.”

“ _If there are others like myself out there, there’s no doubt they’re leagues more powerful than myself._ ”

“That doesn’t mean that you yourself are not a marvel to behold by normal standards.”

Pausing for a moment, his sight shifted around, “ _Maybe..._ ”

“Now go get us some dinner. As special as you are, we all still need to eat.” I smiled, giving him a light pat on the wing.

“ _With pleasure._ ”

Without another word he shot through the gaps in the canopy above at speeds so fast, you would miss it if you blinked.

“And save some oran berries for me, okay!?” I yelled up into the air, knowing full well that my chance to reserve some of them for myself had long since passed. Vaporeon took advantage of Latios’s absence almost immediately, contently trotting up by my side, continuing to wipe her mud covered coat all over my leggings.

“Why don’t you just wash yourself off?” I complained, scraping the small globs of mud off and chucking them into the undergrowth. Ever insistent, she then began to hop and jump on my leg, almost throwing me off balance and into the brush.

“Fine! Fine...” I gave in, deciding to pick her up before she gave me the cold shoulder. Vaporeon was rather large, even by the standard of all of the eevee evolution branches, so picking her up was a workout in and of itself. With one big effort, I lifted her up and held her by her stomach as she let herself go completely limp.

“You are such a goober...” I sighed, heaving her up over my shoulder. Happily, she brought her front legs over my shoulder and hung limply behind me, leaving me to hold the rest of her in my arms. It seemed that the march forward would now have to be completed as a comfy couch for my spoiled blue princess.

**Roads Less Travelled**

The trails and wilds of Hoenn are known for two simple facts: that they are equal parts stunningly gorgeous and incredibly deadly. Beneath every large tree and under every captivating waterfall hides a hundred ways to die before you even knew what hit you. These dangers don't even take into account that the mere act of travelling is in and of itself dangerous here. It isn’t uncommon for trails to be soaked and ridden with mud, like a vile and slippery breeding ground for anything unclean you can possibly think of. In all these regards, this hike was no different than all the others. Ducking and avoiding long sprawling, low hanging tree branches while trying not to slip on the mud and hit my head was nothing more than routine at this point. In all these regards, Latios’s concern about getting to camp before sundown was in no way unfounded. Being unable to see in an environment like this is asking for something terrible to happen, doubly so when all the predators come out to play under the cover of darkness.

Even with all the necessary precautions taken on my part, the wet seasons here in Hoenn are a force to be reckoned with. Fresh socks piled as high as the eye could see wouldn’t be able to completely prevent what the locals call ‘swamp foot’, where the skin on your feet begins to peel off from being constantly soaked to the bone. Thankfully the rains were letting up, if only for the day, so the mud on the trails isn’t as treacherous as they normally are. A day out here in which you only have to worry about wet clothes is a good one.

Wet clothes, and wet firewood. With the clear skies slowly giving way to twilight, the opportunity to make the only fire we would likely see for the next week was all too good to pass up. Blistering summer heat or not, a fire is the only way to warm a weary spirit, and you can’t warm a spirit if the fire won’t start. It didn’t take long before I had to give up hauling Vaporeon in favor of finding kindling and branches that, at the very least, weren’t completely soaked to the point of being useless. Naturally, she took great offense to this and made it a point to try keep a good distance away from me off of the trail as some form childish spite.

This little charade of hers continued until we reached the edge of our campsite, which appeared to have remained untouched by both the elements and any curious wild pokémon that may have happened upon it. Only a few rays of warm twilight sunshine managed to break through the vegetation that surrounded the area, with one of the rays falling right upon our resident berry enthusiast. Laying on his back and with his mouth agape, he remained completely motionless even as we began to trudge through the center of the campsite. His arms and wings sprawled out through the grass with a berry pile next to him that was no larger than several fistfuls. Moving in closer to him, it became immediately apparent that he seemed to have eaten himself into a food coma, with enough berry juice covering his mouth and neck that you could make a whole smoothie.

“Someone’s had a little snack.”

“ _Big snack..._ ” He groaned, shifting slightly on the ground.

“You did it again didn’t you?”

“ _Worth it..._ ”

“You know... you got a little something on your... well... everywhere.” I said plainly, picking away at some of the leaves and fleshy bits that were stuck in his coat.

“ _More... for later..._ ” He muttered, lazily shoving my hands away.

“You’re nasty...” I chuckled, shaking my head, “Wash that gunk off of you, I don’t want any bugs or curious little critters pattering around our campsite.”

“ _Too... full..._ ” He moaned lazily, shifting once more. I leaned in next to him and firmly grabbed his ear, giving it a quick tug. Caught off guard, he tried to swat my arm away as he trashed his head away.

“River. Now.”

“ _No need to be rude!_ ”

“If you kept yourself clean I wouldn’t have to be.”

He grumbled and rolled around, eventually lifting slowly off the ground. Rubbing his eyes and stretching his neck, he took off, flying between the gaps in the tree canopy above without another word. Forcing him to do something is not normally the way I like to do things, but he seems to think himself strong and independent, even though he would probably forget to eat if I didn’t tell him to.

Shifting my focus, I took the few branches I gathered on the hike and threw them into the center of the makeshift fire pit we had yet to use. Operating under the assumption that rain was most likely going to befall us, I wanted to get at least a little bit of the fire’s warmth into my bones before we set in for the evening. With one swift motion, I unstrapped my bag and threw it into the generously sized tent before rummaging through my pile of clothing for a new set of clean, dry clothes. Changing out of the damp and dirtied fatigues for a new set of clean normal clothes was something I had come to look forward to almost every day during these expeditions. Pristine, soft fabric is something you truly take for granted until you're faced with having to bear through rainy days and nights innumerable out in the wilderness.

Emerging from the tent feeling free from the weight of my damp fatigues that hung on my shoulder, I pulled one particular pokéball off my belt, and gave it a light toss into the air. With a snap, it opened up and materialized the Ponyta that I had captured and started rehabilitating only a week ago. With no hesitation, he immediately began running and prancing around the clearing like he was being chased by a swarm of angry venomoth. I let loose a pair of sharp whistles between my teeth, trying to get Ponyta’s attention. He was a little slow on the ball compared to all the other pokémon I’ve rescued, but after a couple of tries I managed to get him to come back around next to me. Taking care to waste no time once I had his attention for more than just a few moments, I had him breath a lively fire into the dry branches. Before the branches had even been completely set alight, Ponyta slipped his way from my light grasp and began gallivanting about the opening once more. Deciding that dealing with a random forest fire on the off chance he did something crazy was not something I wanted to deal with, I recalled him, cascading him in a bright red light that rapidly atomized him, bringing him back inside of his pokéball.

Despite the thick, choking humid air, feeling the campfire’s warmth radiate onto my skin instantly relaxed my whole body. Tense muscles and fatigue piled on from a day of hiking slowly began to melt away as the flames, ever hypnotic, crackled and danced before my eyes. Light from the campfire was the only source of illumination in the clearing now with, the last beads of sunlight retreating behind the treetops beneath an orange kissed sky of navy blue and deep purple. Breaking the trance of the flames for just a few minutes, I took it upon myself to set up a makeshift clothesline made from large branches and spare rope in my backpack. As easy as impaling the large branches into the dirt and tying the rope tight across the tops, I threw my damp and grimy fatigues over them so that they may dry besides the heat of the fire.

Vaporeon had long since taken to sitting herself behind my rock that I had been using as a makeshift seat, intent on keeping her distance from the fire. She stared at me expectantly, her tail softly skimming back and forth across the short grass. It wasn’t until my own stomach began growling that I realized what she was waiting for; her fraction of the berries that were carelessly thrown into a pile near the tent. With a sigh, I began rummaging through the pile, trying to pick out any berries that I might enjoy. Naturally, my request for some oran berries to be saved for myself fell on deaf ears, the only fragments of which were now most likely being washed away from Latios’s coat in the Fortree River.

However, in his infinite kindness, he did leave a single pecha berry amongst the ton of rawst berries that he had collected. While the pecha berry was welcome, the prospect of eating the rawst berries was not something that seemed particularly enjoyable. Vaporeon however, loved them. I’d like to think that Latios picked them for her out of the kindness of his own heart, but I know better than to think him so noble. Reluctantly, I picked up the solitary pecha berry along with the armful of rawst berries and carried them back to the makeshift chair where Vaporeon's gaze stayed ever fixated on the bitter little treats I held.

I laid all the berries out on my seat and began eating away at the pecha berry, looking around for a small twig to stick these berries on. Once I found one of suitable size, I sat on the ground and produced my pocket knife, quickly flipping it open with a click. Scraping away at the bark on the twig and forming a point with which to roast the berries on, I began slicing up the berries one by one. Every other slice that slid off my knife would get chucked behind me to Vaporeon who would await each piece eagerly, jumping up and nabbing them out of the air. All the other slices got slid down the top of my makeshift skewer until a good amount of them were strung down it’s length. While Vaporeon had the luxury of eating them raw to her heart's content, I couldn’t stomach them unless they’re cooked. When cooked with an open flame, the rawst berry slices dry up and harden into little crisps, like little green bitter potato chips. While not the most appetizing, it’s better than eating them raw, and sure as hell beat going to bed hungry.

Patiently, I held the berry pieces in the fire until they caught, letting them singe and sear for a few moments before pulling them away. Quickly waving the stick around, I snuffed out the flames that had engulfed them. Not keen on letting my taste buds get burned, I stuck the thick end of my makeshift skewer into the ground and let the thin plumes of smoke rise, filling the air with their signature bitter smell. Chucking the last few berries over to Vaporeon, I cleared my seat off and sat down, my sight falling upon the fire once again. Naturally, no sooner than when the berry pieces began to cool did Latios descend down from the overarching treetops, softly lowering himself down onto my lap.

“Those are my berries, don’t even think about it.”

“ _I’m too full to eat any more._ ”

“Too full from the oran berries you didn’t save me?” I teased, scratching his head, which was met with a less than amused side glare from him.

“ _I’m too tired to care for your teasing right now._ ”

“Tired from what, exactly?”

“ _Flying around all day._ ”

“Damn, what a tough life.” I remarked sarcastically, earning another displeased stare.

“ _It’s tiring being this gifted, you know._ ”

“Oh I bet.”

Raising an eyebrow, we both shared a good laugh. Leaning off the side of my seat, grabbing the stick that held my dinner, I carefully began biting small bits off of the slices so my tongue wouldn’t get burned and scalded.

“ _The fire is nice._ ”

“Isn’t it? Glad we can finally enjoy one.”

“ _And I was growing so fond of the damp dirt._ ”

“Maybe if you’re lucky, it might rain so you can enjoy the mud again.”

“ _What a blessing that would be._ ” Rolling his eyes, he shifted himself slightly forward so his head hung slightly off the side of the rock, letting me scratch the length of his neck. His soft, fine, tightly packed coat of feathers felt like silk running down the lengths of my fingers, warmed by the heat radiating from the fire.

“ _I had another odd dream last night._ ”

“Again?”

“ _Yes._ ”

“You’re going to make me divine some reason for it aren’t you?”

“ _You could at least pretend to be interested._ ”

I heaved a heavy sigh, “Fine. What was it?”

“ _We were young. Back in Rustboro_.”

“What happened?”

“ _Nothing, really. For some reason you and Steven were fairly angry at each other, and at me. Most of the dream was spent trying to figure out why you were angry._ ”

“Did you find out why?”

“ _I did not. It made me very sad. I flew around the city a little bit as a storm was rolling in, and that’s when I woke up._ ”

“Odd.”

“ _Indeed. What do you make of it?_ ”

“No idea. Maybe you’re afraid of not being accepted or something.”

He let out a soft sight as he shifted slightly on my lap, “ _Maybe. I think perhaps I just miss the times when we were a bit younger._ ”

“Don't we all.”

“ _In spite of all we went through, those days were still very fun. Probably the most fun._ ”

“Yeah...” I agreed blankly, “It’s a shame things are the way they are now.”

“ _Indeed. I almost miss Steven, even with his snobby attitude and head-in-the-clouds stare._ ”

“More like head-in-the-rocks.” I remarked, sharing a laugh with Latios.

“ _I’ll never understand his fascination with stones._ ”

“You and I both, brother. He’s always been more interested in them than anything else.”

“ _Truly an understatement._ ”

“I wonder what he’s even doing nowadays.”

“ _Probably something with rocks._ ”

“I meant as a job. Of course he’s going to keep collecting rocks, that’s all he ever does. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s still riding off his dad’s coattails.”

“ _Mr. Stone certainly has the money to fund whatever it is Steven wants._ ”

“And then some. He’s always been very kind, at least. Maybe a bit too much so. We need to say hi next time we’re in town, let him know we haven’t died yet.”

Latios chuckled, “ _That would be nice. It was pretty sad we missed them last time we visited._ ”

“Yeah... He’s a busy man though. All that money doesn’t earn itself.”

“ _I suppose so._ ”

“Probably for the better, honestly. The amount of grief we caused Steven was probably the reason he only ever wanted to talk to rocks his whole life.”

“ _He always took it in good stride though. It never upset him for too long._ ”

“I don’t know, remember that time you disguised yourself as a pile of Moon Stones and scared him shitless? I don’t think he talked to us for a solid week after that.”

“ _How could I forget?_ ” Latios chuckled to himself, “ _Served him right for forgetting your birthday._ ”

“It was probably a bit overboard but... yeah. Served him right.”

“ _I’m quite fond of the lairon stampede myself._ ”

“Oh yeah!” I remarked, smiling, “That crazy prank right before I left for the ranger academy. I forgot about that.”

“ _I’ll always remember the way he yelled at his dad to grab some pokéballs when he saw it. I think he threw like 4 or 5 before he realized that something was up._ ”

My laughing began to pick up and echo through the clearing as the silly memories began to come back to me, “The best part was when we all had him convinced he was just shit at throwing. What a hoot.”

“ _He was pretty upset for a good chunk of the party._ ”

“I mean, when your whole life is devoted to stones and steel type pokémon, of course you’re going to be upset by something like that.”

“ _Speaking of getting upset..._ ” Latios began, turning and looking at me as a devilish smile curled it’s way across his lips, “ _Remember when Steven told Sam you had a crush on her?_ ”

I heaved a heavy sigh, “This again?”

“ _The face she made when she heard you liked her was so funny, I wish you could have seen it!_ ”

“Yeah, I get it, she thought I was nasty.” I rolled my eyes, feeling my face turn slightly red.

“ _Steven almost couldn’t keep himself together after she made that face! I had to try and keep his mouth shut for him!_ ” Latios kept on, laughing himself into a fit.

“Alright, alright, I get it.” I sighed, leaning back, “I guess it is a little funny now that I think about it.”

“ _She was a bitch anyways._ ” Latios began as his laughter died down, “ _You’d do better with a nicer woman than her._ ”

“She was gorgeous though.”

“ _Outer beauty holds no sway compared to inner beauty._ ”

“I know. I’d just like to think I maybe had a chance if Steven didn’t mess it up.” I chuckled.

“ _Take it from me, Steven helped you dodge a bullet._ ”

“I guess I'll just have to take your word for it.”

Our reminiscing continued well into the night, laughter and smiles echoing within the bounds of our campsite. Fond memories of many shenanigans had numbered themselves as to even rival the innumerable stars that looked upon us from the cosmos. By firelight we talked until our bodies could keep themselves awake no longer, enjoying each other’s company the whole time, giving credence to the old Hoenn saying of ‘time wasted with your loved ones is always time well wasted’.

And there would never be a family I would rather waste my time with than those that surrounded me that evening.


	2. The Story So Far

Heavy rain relentlessly pelted her head and dripped down from her dark chestnut hair over her scowling grimace so sour it could rot an innocent childs heart. Flickering motel lights gave brief glimpses of her tantalizing green eyes that stared coldly into my soul like some predator eyeing it’s prey. Wind whipped and howled, fluttering her clothes and giving her an imposing aura that sought to beat me into submission.

“What? Upset that you can't handle what you dish out?” I barked as loudly as my smoke ravaged lungs would allow. Her expression and her body remained unmoving as she gritted her teeth at my verbal assaults. Whether the water dripping down her cheeks in that moment where she stood in the doorway was rain water or tears I did not know.

Nor did I care.

“You’ve been nothing.. but trouble... since you’ve come around.” I began, my lungs begging me to calm down, “Get the hell out of my face.”

Still stalwart in her stance, she sought to continue her staredown, growing more frustrated with every word that spilled from my lips.

“ **Leave!** ” I screamed, causing a sharp and stabbing pain that clawed at my chest, “Our lives... will be far better off... without you!”

With no more patience left within me, I forcefully slammed the door shut in her face by kicking it closed with my only good leg. I lost my balance, slamming lightly into the wall, and almost onto the floor as well were it not for the bathroom door handle next to me I immediately grabbed on to. Heavy and loud, the bang from the door slam reverberated within the small motel room, causing a resounding ringing noise that subsided within a few seconds. As I hobbled away, leaning against the wall, I felt my body act against my will as I began coughing uncontrollably, the stabbing pain only growing stronger with each forceful heave of my chest. Unable to withstand the painful nature of my coughing attack, I slowly doubled over on to my knees, and then on to the cold linoleum floor completely crippled. My struggling breaths were briefly dwarfed by the sound of a loud bang on the door melded with a crack as if someone had splintered the wood inside of it. It startled me so much that my coughing fit had momentarily subsided as I stared at the door, waiting for her to burst through at any second in a fit of fiery rage that could dwarf even the sun.

But seconds turned to minutes as I laid there on the floor in anxious anticipation with nothing happening, the only sounds to be heard were of my pounding heart and the heavy rainfall on the roof. Once my racing heart and painful coughs had subsided, I was content in the fact that whatever had possessed her to strike the door had now either subsided, or at the very least, seen to it that she take her anger elsewhere. I pushed myself back up onto my knees, taking slow, deep breaths so that I wouldn’t become incapacitated by another coughing fit.

_Fucking hell..._

Straining my voice like that left me with a small headache, exacerbating the numerous cuts, burns, and bruises that littered my body. With what little energy I had inside me, I began to crawl across the floor, pulling myself up onto the bed slowly. I sat myself upright, making sure to not make things more difficult on my body than I should, breathing in very meticulous deep breaths just as the doctor wanted. However, such a task is not something one would call stimulating, and as such, with nothing to fixate my attention on, heavy contemplation quickly enveloped my mind. Fatigue began to make itself felt through every muscle in my body, and I soon gave up on sitting straight, opting to simply lay myself across the fluffy sheets. Weighing heavy like a freight train, the events of this last week began to run through my head like a movie reel, wracking my brain like the torrent of a raging flood. I closed my eyes, losing myself to the enrapturing wake of memories.

People running and screaming. Pokémon in cages so malnourished they bore no resemblance of what they should have been. Being thrashed and thrown about like a ragdoll as the world around me was set aflame. All these images rushed past my vision, going as quickly as they came, amalgamated into some barely coherent stream of torturous sceneries that made the loneliness of this place even more burdensome.

_Where **are** you?_

I blinked my eyes open slowly to a room still empty and a silence still deafening, with no companionship to be had in those that I held most dear in this world. I drew in a deep sigh, and let out a whimpering breath as I rubbed my eyes with my good hand. This room, this place, this _nightmare_ , was something I had only dreamed of on nights where I would wake up in a dripping sweat from a night horror that scared me witless. As luck would have it, it seems those very same nightmares have come to realization, paid in full by the throbbing of my beaten body and erosion of my sanity.

I turned my head and pulled my hand away from my face, staring blankly at the floor. I had no more tears left. No more will to grieve. While I wanted so dearly to crawl under the bed and wither away, or to hurl myself off the roof of the motel, I knew that if what I was thinking to be true would come to pass, it would require more strength than I have ever had to muster in the entirety of my life. This was no time for lamentation, but rather a time for me to act.

However, there is little a crippled man such as myself can act upon. Even if I was uninjured, I still numbered but one person, and there’s only so much that I could do alone. Knowing now that I would have to rely on others, I drew in another breath and reached down into my backpack, pulling out from within the prototype PokeNav. Slowly, I pressed down on the center button, and waited patiently. With it’s signature little tune, the top clicked open and unfolded at various angles, revealing the little screen within that prompted me for my choices as it always had before. I pressed the button for contacts and skimmed briefly through the list of people I had added, before I came upon the number that the large man back in the hospital gave me. I hesitated for several moments, unsure of what I may be getting myself into should I make this call, doubt clouding my mind like a thick smog.

_I have to. For him._

If he’s missing, or stars forbid, worse, then I would have to get this guy involved either way now. With one last solemn breath, I pressed the button and waited for the PokéNav to connect. I felt my heart trying to pound it’s way out of my chest as the little circle spun, the dial tone being the only thing my ears could hear. With a soft beep, the connection was successful, and the deep voice of a grizzly young man echoed over the small speakers.

“Hello?”

“Hey. It’s Matt. The ranger. I need your help.”

“At this time of night?” He begrudgingly inquired, fatigue apparent in his voice.

“Yes. It’s urgent. I’m at the Eastfront Motel. Room 16.”

He let out a small groan, “Alright, I’ll be there ASAP.”

“Thank you.” I tried responding as the Nav disconnected.

_It’s done._

Letting myself go limp, I lazily tossed the PokéNav onto the floor and buried my face into one of the hard pillows that sat near me. While relaxation would be something beyond divine at this moment, the constant throbbing pain in my chest and all over my body sought to snuff out the embers of that desire quickly. Even shifting around and trying to find a comfortable way to lie down was something barely beyond my reach, as no matter the way I twisted or turned, some corner of my body ached and moaned in protest. With a deep and solemn sigh, I resigned myself to the whim of the unending pains and decided that my time would be better spent sitting lest I, by some miracle, fall asleep before he arrived.

I mustered what energy I could and pushed myself to my feet, arms and legs shaking with pain as I pushed myself upwards. Slowly, I began hobbling towards the only chair in the room that sat solitarily next to the double window by the bed. Pulling back the curtains, the dark and sullen courtyard of the motel now held the entirety of my vision, lit up only by the one large street light installed in the center of the parking lot that continued it’s dim flickering. The steady sound of rain plinked against the window as the downpour continued to flood the streets. Like the steam of a hot shower, the atmosphere began to wash over me as I absent-mindedly stared out the window, trying desperately to fight the crushing burdens that weighed down my mind and body.

Whether it was moments or hours spent staring out that window, I couldn’t recall. My mindless, exhausted gaze was only broken when the figure of the odd large man running up towards my door took center stage in my vision. His umbrella fought against him as the wind sought to rip him up from the ground and carry him off like in some old time movie. Seeing as he mustn’t be too fond of the rain, I moved as fast as I could towards the door once he approached, opening it up to the sight of his full special agent outfit lined with straps and pouches too numerous to count. He looked like something out of some over-the-top action movie, with muscles larger than my head and a militarized outfit that no doubt had him armed enough to dissuade anyone dim enough to try and pick a fight with him. Shaking himself quickly, he sent the rainwater that had accumulated over his fatigues laying about the entryway and on to the walls and floor.

“Something hit your door there?” He inquired, pointing to the indented crack right at the center of the door that split almost the whole way down it’s length.

“It’s nothing.”

“Sure don’t look like nothing.” He said, folding his umbrella up and placing it in the corner.

“Just some rowdy kids, nothing to worry about.”

“I see...” He began, a faint hint of skepticism in his voice, “You chose one hell of a time to call me, ranger.”

“I know.”

“Then it best be something good. What seems to be the problem?” He asked quickly.

I took in a deep breath as best I could, nerves rattling my bones, “My friend is gone... and I’m not sure if he’s safe or not.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Remember what I said back at the hospital? That I have a friend with me here in Johto? I can’t find him.”

His eyes went a little wide, “What’s he look like? Maybe one of our boys ‘ave seen him.”

“I sincerely doubt that.”

“What makes you say that?”

“Well... he isn’t exactly easy to find.”

“And you brought me here because you couldn’t find him?” He scoffed, his tone growing agitated and unkind.

“It...” I began, struggling to find the right words.

“Well, if you want help ranger, you’d best give me more to go off of than that.” He chuckled in a lack of amusement.

I hesitated for a moment, thinking about what could possibly go wrong if I say the wrong words, or nothing at all. Phrases were hard to find and my thoughts seemed incomplete. Sentences and explanations hung over my head like a crossroads where only one road would lead to safety. I couldn’t afford to put off the best chance at help I had.

“H-Have a seat.” I finally piped up, pointing to the small chair that sat at the window in a desperate attempt to buy myself time. With footfalls so heavy they quaked the ground, he walked over as I limped and hobbled back to my spot on the empty bed where the sheets were thrown and tossed about. I began lowering myself onto the bed, careful to do it slowly as not to hurt myself even more than I already was.

“You need help ranger?”

“No... I’m fine.” I responded.

“So then. What’s the deal?”

“So, my friend is not any ordinary person.”

“Yes, you’ve made that quite clear.”

“He’s a pokémon.” 

Those words seemed to linger in the air for what felt like an eternity as I anxiously shifted in my spot, awaiting his response. A skeptically interested look in his eyes slowly crept across his entire face at the statement. His interest piqued, he sat himself back in his chair, motioning for me to continue.

“He’s not just a normal pokemon either. He’s something of a uh... legend of sorts back where I’m from. He has the ability to transform, shapeshift, turn invisible, the works. He can fly fast as hell, too.”

“So you’re friends with a god then, is it? Alright then...” He began in a sarcastic tone, “You sure you haven’t been taking too many pain meds, ranger?” He leaned forward, his tone turning from one of curiosity, to one of annoyance.

“I’m being serious, we’ve known each other for almost our whole lives.”

“Mhmm...”

Formulating some series of words to try and convince him was not easy, especially given that his eyes continued to stare deep into my soul, making me feel naked and vulnerable. Regardless, I had to swallow my pride, and find a way to show him I wasn’t simply going mad as a result of some pain med induced hallucinations.

“I’ll tell you our story.” I said outright and plainly without any thought despite every fiber of my being screaming for me not to, “Just, please, believe me. I-I need your help with finding him. I’m afraid he might have been kidnapped, or worse-”

“Kidnapped, you say?” He asked, in interest hooked once again, “What makes you say that?”

Like a siren call I heard her voice begin to claw its way into my mind; her words hung like a noxious cloud over my head and in my vision, repeating themselves again and again like the hammering of a nail into the thought clouds of my mind.

_His trail is cold, I don’t know where he is..._  
_I haven’t seen him for a few days..._  
_Some friend you are, casting him aside like dirt..._  
_If you truly cared, you’d come searching with me..._

“I... have sincere reasons to believe that is the case. It’s not like him to go missing, and all the trails I’ve tried to trace him by are cold.”

The large man let out a heavy sigh, “If what you say is true, then this is a... worrying turn of events.” He began, thinking to himself for a moment, “Assuming, it is, that what you’re saying is true.”

“If you have the time, I would like to convince you, sir.”

His eyes turned out of the window in shallow contemplation for a short moment, “I do have some time, I suppose. Please, do explain yourself, but keep it brief.” He stated.

“There’s nothing brief about our relationship...” I chuckled, much to the discontent of my lungs and body.

“Then tell me as much as you can as fast as you can. Time is not a luxury I can afford much of.”

“Of course...” I began, taking in another deep breath, “But I must... say some things first.”

“Go on.” He nodded at me.

“This... isn’t a story I tell many people. Even those I do tell only get bits and pieces of what happened.”

I took in a deep breath as I felt the tears welling up in the back of my eyes just thinking about all the things I was going to tell this man. I powered through, knowing full well my eyes could not cry anymore even if they wanted to. Swallowing deeply to get the knots out of my throat, I began the trip down this road knowing not what may come of it.

“Sorry, it’s... not easy for me to talk about.”

“I know that feeling all too well...” He agreed, his coarse voice somehow soothing in my ears.

“I’m glad you understand.”

He nodded, “And I’ll try my best with the rest.”

With a sigh and heave of my shoulders, I cast my vision out into the rainy nightscape, where the motel sign flickered and wavered.

“So...where to begin...”


	3. Return to Sender

Sudden and jerky rustling movements near me in the tent slowly tugged me away from my sleep, arousing me from my peaceful slumber. Briefly blinded by what light made its way into the tent through the small opening at the top, I rubbed my eyes and peered over across my sleeping bag to see Vaporeon baring her fangs with her tail held up. There she stood in a readied position, staring toward the tent flaps as Latios levitated just above her, eyes glowing a neon teal that faintly coated my sleeping bag in a ghostly hue. Fine and silken, the feathers on the back of his neck stood on end as he hovered motionless, maintaining his stalwart stance.

“Wh-what’s going on?” I lazily inquired in an attempt to make sense of what they were doing.

“ _Something is flying this way. Something big._ ”

“What is it?”

“ _No idea._ ”

With a slight huff, I rolled my eyes, “Well, that doesn’t really help us...”

Not but a moment later, the quiet atmosphere of lightly rustling leaves quickly gave way to howling gusts that whipped and stirred the tree branches above. Sounds of flapping wings shattered the peaceful tranquility of the early morning forest, sending a cold shiver tingling down my spine. Before the sensation could make it’s way even half way down my back, a loud thud quaked the earth just outside of our tent, shaking my senses into an intense rush of adrenaline. I motioned for the two of them to stay quiet as I carefully inched and slithered my way out of the sleeping bag. My vision began to focus and sharpen as my hearing became acutely aware of every little sound or movement that was made, be it from me, or whatever it was that was outside. So refined my hearing was that these minor noises dwarfed the insidious pounding of my heart as it clamored in my chest. Carefully and methodically, I controlled my breaths as best I could once I peeled myself from the warm clutches of the sleeping bag, mentally preparing myself to tangle with the pokémon that had made its presence abundantly clear as it let out a loud huff from it’s nostrils.

Loud and heavy, the creature’s stomping lightly shook the ground as whatever it was meandered around our camping spot. It was just loud enough that I was free to move within the tent without fear of rousing any suspicion. Slowly, I crawled my way to my belt of pokeballs and pried a couple free from it without rousing much suspicion from whatever predator that was prowling around outside. Inching my way to the tent flap, gripping the pokéballs in my hand so tight the apexes of my knuckles began to turn white, I drew in a deep breath. Holding my small army up with a firm grip, I placed my hands upon the velcreaux straps that kept us concealed, and poised myself to tear it open. Looking over to Latios and Vaporeon, their eyes stared back at me patiently, waiting for my go. With a nod, I held up three fingers on my hand with the pokéballs.

I felt my heart begin to pound faster in my chest as I slowly counted down.

Three.

Two.

One.

Like a madman making an attempt to break free of some prison, I ripped open the flaps in an instant, beginning the heaving motions to let loose my whole menagerie of companions on whatever sorry bird that sought to make breakfast meat of us. However what met our sights was not a bird, and most certainly wasn’t hostile. In fact, it was a familiar, goofy orange face that we had seen many times before. With a confused visage, it turned it’s head over to us with a slightly happy, yet silly, smile.

“ _False alarm! False alarm._ ” Latios shouted out loud, causing my ears to begin ringing, “ _It’s just the major’s Dragonite..._ ” He sighed with a modicum of relief that was dwarfed by his abundant displeasure.

While I managed to stop myself from releasing all the pokéballs from my grasp, it was not before my momentum carried me face first into the damp dirt. In typical fashion, everyone around me had to have a hearty chuckle at my expense as I wiped the dirt from my cheeks, but so relieved was I that it didn’t even bother me. With a big goofy grin still plastered across his face, the Dragonite scratched his head and shrugged. As my heart began to calm itself, I took in a deep breath, swiping the small drops of sweat off my forehead before chucking the pokéballs back into the tent where my belt was.

“It’s too early for this shit...” I lamented, pushing myself up onto my feet. Not too fond of having my heels serrated by rocks and gravel, I crawled back inside and quickly slipped on a pair of boots. So careless I was that I didn’t even bother to put on socks, opting to simply bare the discomfort of slightly damp and worn boots, quickly making my way outside. Naturally, Dragonite continued his amused chuckling even as I emerged from the tent once more, but this time it was not at me. For some reason, he always found Latios funny. Not the friendly or compassionate funny, but funny much in the same manner an older school aged kid would laugh at a younger kid for any sorts of varying reasons he could come up with. On a normal day, I would probably try to cease their bickering, but I simply gave my eyes another good rub as they quickly tried adjusting to the bright early morning sun, opting to interject myself into their bickering.

“You know, you really gotta stop scaring us like that.” I began, walking over to Dragonite’s side, “One of these days Latios here is going to mistake you for an actual threat, and I don’t do well with bits and pieces.” I remarked, brushing away some of the leaves and branches that were caught in his scales. Dragonite simply laughed with a smug smile, giving Latios a sly, yet challenging grin, which Latios returned in kind. Their intimidating staring contest persisted briefly, interrupted only when I waved my hands in front of Dragonite, snapping him out of his uppity trance.

“So, what brings you here big man?” I raised my voice.

With another of his friendly smiles, he turned and started rummaging around in a bag he had tossed over his shoulder. After a short moment of picking through, he turned back to me and revealed a white envelope, holding it out. Gently, I pulled the letter from his grasp, quickly looking the envelope over. It was completely blank. No name, no writing, no return address, no postage.

“For me, I assume?” I asked, to which he gave a quick nod, motioning for me to open it up. Sticking my finger under the fold and ripping open the top of the envelope, I revealed what at first glance appeared to be a single letter within. Although the term letter didn’t seem quite right, as giving it a more thorough look over made it abundantly clear that it wasn't so much a letter, as much as it was a note, hastily scrawled in handwriting so horrendous one would think it to be written by a child.

**Petty Officer Matthew Davis  
Your current assignment is hereby suspended as your presence is required back at base ASAP. Do not delay. Bring your friend.  
Major D.**

“ _What does it say?_ ”

“The major wants us to return to the outpost, and fast...”

“ _Really? Odd..._ ”

“Yeah...” I agreed, my mind beginning to buzz with concern, “Whatever it is, it must be big. Hope we didn’t do something wrong...” In one fluid motion, I folded up the note and put it back into the envelope, handing the letter back to Dragonite who took it and placed it back into his bag, “Let him know we’ll be there as fast as we can.”

He nodded his head and, with one final farewell smile coupled with a quick wave of his hand, he flicked his wings, sending him shooting up into the air. As cacophonous in his launch as he was in his landing, he broke through several branches before he breached the skyline, sending the foliage plummeting down around our campsite. Within moments, he was nothing more than a dot in the sky, gone as quickly as he came.

“ _I don’t like him._ ”

“You say that every time."

“ _It’s true, though. I detest his presence._ ”

“Well, we aren’t paid to like him, so hate him all you want.”

“ _I wish the Major would use another one of his pokémon._ ”

“The phrase ‘don’t shoot the messenger’ comes to mind, brother. At the end of the day he’s just trying to help.”

“ _He can go be helpful somewhere else._ ” Latios began, levitating toward me with a devilish grin. “ _And while I never said we should shoot him, I wouldn’t exactly say I’m opposed to the idea either..._ ”

“That’s not what I...” I began, before letting out an exhausted sigh, “Nevermind. Clean up this mess, will you?”

“ _Why do **I** have to clean up **his** mess?_”

“Because it’s faster if you do it, and it’s the right thing to do.”

“ _I don’t want to._ ”

“And I didn’t want to be woken up, but that didn’t quite work out now, did it?” I remarked in an agitated tone, “Make it quick, we’re setting out as soon as we’re packed.”

“ _It would probably be easier for you with some clothes on._ ” He stated with a slight smirk. I looked down upon myself and felt my heart skip a beat at the stark realization that I had none of my clothes on.

“Yeah, you’re probably right...”

Latios giggled lightly to himself as I shook my head in shame. So groggy and annoyed I was that I hadn’t even noticed that I never put on any clothes during the whole affair. Being sent into fight-or-flight like that will tend to make you forget those little things, but thankfully pokémon tend to not particularly care if we humans are dressed or not. Even still, the whole prospect of being in your underwear in front of a group of others was still quite off putting. With a slight sentiment of embarrassment, I dragged my feet back into the tent as Vaporeon passed me by, stretching her legs as she went about her own early morning routine.

Knowing full well the coming day would be long and arduous, I slipped into one of only a dozen fuzzy fresh pairs of socks that I had packed away in my bag for the trip. Donning the first plain t-shirt I could find in my bag, I climbed back out of the tent and into the bright sunny morning, making pace to my uniform that was tossed over the makeshift clothesline.

“Here’s hoping they’re dry.” I remarked, walking past Latios as he tossed the last of the branches into a pile.

“ _Those are some high hopes._ ”

As I approached the line, my eyes were met with the pleasant sight of Vaporeon who had taken to rolling around in the dew covered grass. Bits of green and clumps of dirt began to stick to her fur in numbers greater than the moisture droplets she had probably hoped to garner from them.

 _What a goofball._  
With a quick swipe of my hand across the fabric of my uniform, my hand glided cleanly from one end to the other. By some miracle, it not only dried completely overnight, but also didn’t get damp or moist from the morning dew either. Content that at least I had this much going for me, I quickly slipped into my pants and buttoned my shirt, watching on as Vaporeon continued her wild rolling around the campsite.

“ _So, what’s the game plan?_ ” Latios piped up as I finished straightening out my collar.

“Well, we still have a lot of stuff back at the weather institute, and that hike alone is probably going to take us the whole day, so we’ll probably head there and stay the night.”

“ _I was afraid you would say that._ ”

“Yeah, I’m not exactly a fan of spending the whole day hiking back.”

“ _The sentiment is shared._ ”

“Unfortunately, this stuff isn’t going to walk itself back to egghead central, as much as I wish it would. Shame we have to leave so soon, too. Feels like we just got here.”

“ _Yeah..._ ”

Latios and I shared a short moment looking at each other as I tightened the belt on my pants and fitted my gloves. Awkwardly, he pried his eyes away from me, darting his vision quickly around the clearing.

“What’s up?”

“ _Doesn’t this all just seem a bit weird?_ ”

“Of course it does, but orders are orders.”

“ _Why the hell is he recalling us?_ ” He rambled on.

“Well, we aren’t going to find out with you just floating there.”

“ _Don’t tell me you aren’t at least curious. I can see it in you._ ”

I sighed, “Of course I am, but the only way we’re going to find out for sure is if we get back there ASAP, like he wants us to.”

“ _And how do you suppose we do that? It’s not exactly a short journey._ ”

“Well...” I started, taking in a deep breath, “I’m not sure. I’ll think of something on the way there, and maybe the scientists there have something to help us out.”

“ _They haven’t been much help before._ ”

“Yeah, but one can hope, right?”

“ _I won’t be the one holding my breath._ ”

“That makes two of us. In the meantime, organize all the big stuff and compact it. I want to get going as quickly as possible.”

“ _I can think of no better use for my talents._ ” He replied in a whimsically sarcastic tone, letting out a huff of displeasure. Floating towards the tent and out of my vision, Latios began consolidating our camping gear as I took down the makeshift clothesline. Such an endeavor would naturally not go uninterrupted by Vaporeon who now sought to use me as her own personal towel. Weaving and meandering around my legs, she scraped all the grassy gunk and dirt clumps on to my freshly donned pants.

“Really? I just put these on...” I complained, receiving nothing more and an innocent smile accompanied by a slight wagging of her tail.

“You’re lucky you’re adorable, you little pearl-eyed devil...” I sighed, resigning myself to her adorable expression.

**On the Road Again**

Most of the remaining morning was spent packing up and compressing most of the supplies we had brought out a few days before. It was relatively quick work considering we’ve been through the motions a hundred times over, but it was necessary all the same. The large sleeping bag was tied in a cylinder, the tent was folded and packed away, and all my clothes and assorted oddities were shoved into my backpack until it was bursting at the seams.

However, now came the not so easy part. Hauling any sort of equipment can be quite taxing, making what would otherwise be a quick and simple hike last significantly longer. So naturally, when you go out into the wilderness for a living, you learn to try and travel as light as you can while still having access to the necessities. It’s a delicate balance that changes drastically depending on where you’re going and what you’re doing, and I’m not even sure if I’m 50% good at it yet. Even when I cut dozens of kilos off the gear, it always feels like there needs to be a hundred more cut. Thankfully almost all of my pokémon were in pokéballs, and the ones that aren’t can easily get their own food, allowing my travel gear to be lighter on average more than half the other rangers. Truthfully, I pity the rangers who have to figure all that stuff out when they go on hikes, as I can only imagine the nightmare that is ration logistics for rangers who don’t use pokéballs.

Even still, with as little as we try to carry, it remains quite the hassle to actually move it. I’ve had my fair share of thrown out backs and sprained ankles with gear that weighed even less than this, so the prospect of potentially injuring myself on an all day hike with this ton of gear was not something I was keen on enduring. Unfortunately, whether or not I liked the idea was of no consequence as we finalized the packing, tying everything together and strapping it all on to my back and body.

We made the final preparations, making sure the fire pit was put out for good and cleaning up the last bit of clutter. With a deep breath and a large gait, I put the first few steps down on our journey back to the weather institute. Rhythmic stomping and controlled breathing was all I had to look forward to for the next good while. Vaporeon took it all in good stride though, and found fun in prancing around the rainforest trails, badgering the occasional wildlife we happened upon. However, such monotony is not exactly Latios’s forte, and it wasn’t long before our hiking silence was broken.

“ _You’re worried._ ” He piped up, his phantasmal voice dwarfing the rhythmic sound of crunching of dirt and branches.

“Yes.”

Focused on the trail ahead and not so much on the conversation, a silence fell upon us once again, interrupted only when I myself piped up once again.

“Anything else?”

“ _Well... I’ve been thinking..._ ”

“Uh oh.”

While I couldn’t precisely see him, the pause that ensued gave me enough time to make sure that I visualized his displeasure in my head.

“ _Quit it._ ” He stated sharply, “ _Truth be told, I am as well._ ”

“Why? You’re not the one in the line of fire for any shitstorms that might come from all of this.”

“ _Not directly, but the implications of what he’s doing are quite big. As he says-_ ”

“A job unfinished is a failure beyond fixing!” I clamored mockingly with a chuckle, “Ironic, huh?”

“ _Yeah, that’s the part that’s bothering me. Did he seriously not mention anything in that letter?_ ”

“Nothing at all. All he wants is for us to get back fast and to make sure you tag along.”

In an instant, he swung himself around from my side, obstructing my path. Like warm embers his deep ruby eyes, wide open, stared intently at me.

“ _Say that again._ ”

“Uhh... He wants us to go back and to make sure you tag along?”

“ _He said that in the letter?_ ” He continued, pushing his face closer to mine.

“I mean, yeah?”

His body remained motionless as his eyes began to dart around our surroundings.

“So that means they probably found-"

“Don’t get ahead of yourself.” I stated firmly, putting my hand up, “We have absolutely no lead on what he wants, and getting worked up over what it may or may not be won’t do us any good.”

“ _Think for a moment why don’t you! What other reason could he have to ask me specifically to come along? He knows we’re pretty much glued together anyways, and the Major is very intentional in his word choices._ ”

With a sigh, I took a short minute to take in and process what he was trying to say. All his analyses were not wrong, and he made a good point that there was pretty much no reason for the Major to specifically request that he come along. Even the use of the phrase ‘your friend’ was something he reserved exclusively for Latios, meaning there was no open interpretation of what he meant.

“You’re not wrong..."

“ _So that has to be it then. They must have a lead on more of my kind._ ”

“I’m still not entirely convinced.”

“ _And why is that?_ ”

“I mean, the whole note was just very weird. It was incredibly short and made no attempt to clarify anything. He pretty much just said ‘You’re reassigned, get here fast, bring Latios.’, and that was it.”

“ _And you’re sure it was him that wrote it?_ ”

“It was definitely his handwriting. It was so sloppy I almost couldn’t read it.”

Latios lightly shook his head and wracked his brain for a short moment, his eyes darting around the surroundings once more like he was obsessively searching for something.

“ _This letter is completely uncharacteristic of him._ ”

“I think you might be looking a bit too much into it.” I replied, giving him a light pat on the top of his neck.

“ _Was there anything else in the letter? Anything at all?_ ”

“I mean, not really.”

“ _That has to be it then. What else could he possibly reassign us for that would require us there, in person, with me there specifically?_ ”

“Well, if you stay patient, we'll find out shortly enough.”

“ _I don’t like that._ ”

“Like what?”

“ _Being patient._ ” He began, his visage growing more agitated, “ _I want to find out right now. Time could be of the essence!_ ”

“Well that’s the way it is right now, unfortunately.” I said throwing my hands up, continuing on my pace along the narrow path.

“ _But I have to know for sure! This could be something big if it warrants this much care for secrecy on his part._ ”

“Hey, the only way we’ll find out sooner is if we get there sooner, so-” My continued rationalizations were cut short by a sharp shove from behind that sent me stumbling over my feet.

“ _Then pick up the pace you slakoth!_ ” Latios ordered, followed by another steady shove on my back, pushing me forward so fast that I almost tripped on a root that stuck out of the ground. Regaining my balance, I leaned myself against a tree next to me, taking a quick breather.

“Hey watch it, jackass! If I sprain an ankle, we’ll be out here for a lot longer than just a day!” I yelled at him.

“ _Well I wouldn’t need to give you a shove if you moved your damn feet!_ ”

“I don’t see **you** carrying any gear! If you want us to move faster, make yourself useful and take some of the weight of this gear off my back.”

“ _So I’m just an errand boy now?_ ”

“I’m not making you do anything, but if you want to get to the institute faster, then-”

I stopped my own talking as I felt the gear begin to lift itself up and off my body slightly, taking a good deal of the weight off of my shoulders. While not completely weightless, the relief from having a large fraction of the weight taken off was more than enough to put a spring in my step.

“See? Now was that so hard?” I sneered, taking larger and faster strides.

“ _Not as hard as carrying a tent apparently._ "

“You should be thankful I don’t make you carry anything.”

“ _As if you could make me._ ”

“Not like I ever would. You know I carry all this out of the kindness of my heart.”

“ _Sure, that’s what we’ll call it._ ” He mocked, rolling his eyes.

“Wouldn’t want you to be just any old errand boy now would we?”

“ _I’m flattered._ ”

“Perhaps you are worthy of the title of steward.”

“ _I would like a title with a little more class._ ”

“Butler it is then.”

“ _Only if I get a cool tie._ ” He replied, a small smile curling on the corners of his mouth.

“Tell you what, I’ll consider it.”

With his focus momentarily shifted from all the prospects and potential outcomes of our adventure back to civilization, our pace became quick once more, passing trees and rocks twice as fast than before. On any normal day, I would take the time to enjoy the scenery and take it all in, but no such time for luxuries existed now. The only breaks I would allow myself now would be ones to catch my breath and to drink massive amounts of water, permitting Latios wouldn’t just drag me along the trail otherwise.

With my newfound speed, it wasn’t long before the heavily forested wetlands around us slowly gave way to a more open, rocky, and hilly terrain which made traversing it a good deal more difficult. My legs began to burn with each rocky outcrop we climbed, taking its toll on my body and my spirit. Combining it with the constant nudging of Latios at my back, it made for quite the uncomfortable experience, even with a good bit of the weight taken off of my shoulders.

While physically it usually isn’t too much of a hassle to have Latios use his psychic powers on me, it’s not really something I have grown to like. It makes the weight of what I’m carrying, albeit lighter, inconsistent, leading to many odd situations in which the weight I’m carrying fluctuates higher or lower. Combined with the fact that it’s more or less like making my younger brother carry some heavy gear, it didn’t exactly sit well in my mind either. While I’m not one to exploit people, letting him do it of his own accord to get to our destination faster made it so it at least didn’t weigh too heavily on my mind.

The trail took such an odd toll on my legs and feet that I had to take several breaks in this section of the hike in order to try and regain my energy and composure. Naturally this made Latios upset as he has the patience and temperament of a child, doubled now by his excessive over-thinking. Each stop was met with passive-aggressive sighs and anxious fidgeting on his part, taking an equal toll on my patience as the trail was taking its toll on my body. Needless to say, it didn’t take too many breaks into my forced march before he finally broke.

“ _Why do we keep stopping?_ ”

“Because I’m tired and the trail is kicking my ass, that’s why."

“ _My work is starting to give me a headache but you don’t see me stopping and complaining._ ” He bemoaned, as I felt most of the weight from the backpack tug me down and backwards. Thankfully I was sitting down, otherwise I may have done a backflip off the rocky incline. Regaining my balance, I drew in a deep breath, and let out an audible sigh of discontent.

“You’re being an antsy little prick today, you know that right?” I snipped at him. Vaporeon took it upon herself in that moment to jump onto my lap and take my attention away from Latios by trying to lick my sweaty face.

“ _What if we’re too slow and we miss our chance? **My** chance?_”

“If it was that urgent, don’t you think the Major would have asked you to go back to him yourself?”

He floated there for a few long moments, staring at the ground and thinking to himself, leaving me time to wrestle the giant walking fish on my lap away from my face. I managed to get Vaporeon to settle down on my lap where she laid herself on her side, begging me to rub her belly, which I obliged begrudgingly.

“ _You’re right..._ ”

“Damn right I am.”

“ _I’m sorry._ ”

“It’s okay."

A brief silence fell over us, which I spent gulping water from the water skin built into my backpack.

“ _I just... want to know. Not knowing what this could be about makes me..._ ” He began, trying to think of a proper word to use, “ _I-It makes me feel-_ ”

“Anxious?”

“ _Yeah._ ” He agreed, turning his slightly melancholic eyes towards me, “ _I want it to go away, I have to know what this is about._ ”

“My answer is the same as it's been the last 20 times.”

“ _I do not wish to wait, Matt. This feeling has been nibbling at my head all morning_.”

“You sure it isn’t the headache?"

“ _I am sure. It’s only a minor pounding. This anxious feeling is... it’s over all of my body._ ”

“Sounds like you need to clear your head a bit."

“ _It does?_ ”

“Yes. Tell you what,” I began, putting Vaporeon on the ground, bringing myself off of the rock and back on to my aching feet once more. Gently, I placed my arm around his neck, scratching his chin, “Fly around a bit, burn off some energy, and hopefully some of that anxiety with it.”

“ _Really?_ ” He turned to me tilting his head in confusion.

“Worth a try isn’t it? Remember, when we were kids? How I would always go out and walk around the city whenever I needed to clear my mind or needed time to myself?”

“ _I do. Did it really help that much?_ ”

“Most of the time. I think it could do you good to get your mind free of this for a little bit.”

“ _You sure?_ "

“Of course. Me and Vaporeon can handle ourselves. You on the other hand...” I said, giving him an overly exaggerated unsure glance.

“ _Very funny._ ”

“Thank you, I aim to please.”

“ _You should aim higher._ ” He began, turning himself toward the sky, “ _Are you sure you won’t need me?_ ”

“No, we’re good, seriously. Go blow off some steam and let yourself calm down for a bit. Just make sure to meet us near the weather institute, or somewhere on the trail before sun down, whichever comes first.”

“ _But what of your precious little feet and fragile little legs?_ ”

“Hey if they were half as fragile as you say they are, I’d be setting up camp right now. Come to think of it, that doesn’t sound like a bad idea...” I teased, which promptly got me lightly psychically shoved to the side.

“ _Even funnier._ ”

“Alright, get out of here.” I quickly scratched his back and ran my hand up to his head, giving him a quick head rub, “Go have some fun or something.”

“ _If you insist. Here's hoping this works..._ ”

After a moment's pause, Latios pulled himself from my light grasp, bolting off into the sky, flying off to who knows where to do who knows what in the blink of an eye. With his psychic strength no longer gnawing it’s way at my back and his incessant nagging no longer ringing in my head, I already began to feel relieved, if not a little lonely. A small price to pay, however, to not have to deal with his odd attitude and persistent questioning. However, convincing him to leave more for myself than for him made the lonely feelings more prominent, guilting me into regretting casting him off so easily.

Conversely, Vaporeon always seemed happy about Latios leaving, as every time the two of us spend any amount of time away from one another, she gets super playful and affectionate. And no sooner than Latios had flown off did she trot back over and begin nuzzling my legs, walking and trying to weave herself around them. Against my better judgement, I decided to be kind and pick her up and hold her in my arms with all the gear still strapped on to me. The weight of the hiking equipment pulling down on me along with Vaporeon and all her weight made standing by itself a work of immense strength.

“You are too spoiled.” I said plainly, scratching her side with one of my hands. Stretching and rolling herself around in my arms, she deemed it appropriate to return the affection received by relentlessly licking my face, getting it wet and slimy all over.

“You are such a weirdo. But you’re my weirdo, yes you are.” I said to her in a babying voice as she continued her assault on every inch of my face she could get a hold on. Eventually it became too much and I had to let her down, which didn’t sit well with her and she began to rub herself along my legs again. Before setting off, I bent over and gave her one last bout of head scratched, giving the nearby scenery a quick glance over, absorbing the atmosphere before I began straining myself once more. With hands full of velvety soft blue fur and a head now sopping wet, I pushed myself up and returned to the hike with renewed vigor.

Without Latios rushing me, I could finally take a few moments to enjoy the scenery a little bit as well. Not that the scenery around these parts change much, but being able to take it all in makes the hiking that little bit less dull. It’s not a lot, but considering how monotonous these kinds of hikes were, I would take any escape from the repetitive motions. Ironic, as my ears were quickly attuned to the sound of rhythmic crunching as we began ascending another rocky outcrop, inching our way back to the weather institute.


	4. New Kid in Town

All stories have to begin somewhere, and I suppose this is probably a better place to start than any. It all took place when I was young, during the last year of my introductory pokémon schooling at the massive education center in Rustboro. There were many different cohorts, ranging from preschool age to graduate level courses, having well over 2000 students enrolled in anything and everything from pokémon nursing care, to biological research. It housed many different classes for young kids and aspiring veterinarians alike, and drew in a wide plethora of students from all across the region. I myself was part of this school since I was 8 years old, and was about 11 when all of this took place, with my class consisting of twenty something other kids who hailed from all the corners of the city and region alike in quite the spacious classroom. In short, the school was large, populated, awe inspiring, and very very expensive. 

Thinking back on it, I guess I never truly understood how my parents could afford to send me to a place like that. Growing up in the south side suburbs of Rustboro City wasn’t exactly the life of luxury. We weren’t poor by any means, but we weren’t anywhere near wealthy or extravagant. Both my parents were hard workers; rarely were they ever in the house during the day with the exception of weekends, leaving me home alone more often than not whenever I got out of school. Part of me now wonders if all they had and all they worked for was poured into me and that school. There’s no way on this green earth that it was easy for them to amass the money to send me to a place like that. Not that it really matters much now, but it does make me wonder from time to time how run ragged they truly must have been.

It also doesn’t help that I always had a slight aversion to school, as any kid growing up does. As tiring as it was, I always did my homework and classwork on time all the same without complaint. When you have a lot of alone time both at home and at school, you tend to make sure all your work is done, be it mostly for a lack of anything better to do or otherwise. Part of me somewhat regrets being such a shut-in; I was normally wholly unaware and uninterested in anything that my classmates or my parents were doing. Not saying I disliked them by any means, but I always preferred to spend my time in solitude, often opting to read or pokémon watch as opposed to socializing. It always felt better, like it felt right. Plus, I didn’t have to waste my time being numbed by the incessant noise that was the complicated social tangles of their lives. Putting it bluntly, I suppose that made me the quiet kid of the class; friendless, but known. The kid that most knew of, but never actually knew.

Up until this point, at least.

I’ll always remember that day. It was the first day of classes for the year, and my mother had dressed me up in my nice new school clothes, sending me out into the streets with the spirit to take on the new school year. Damp and foggy, the humid early morning air of late summer was still thick enough to cut with a knife and laid heavily on the lungs. Even when shrouded by the clouds and fog plumes, heat from the sun almost seemed to break straight through, boiling the fog and heating the tar of the roads and sidewalks. Making for quite the unpleasant walking experience, it wasn’t long into my walk before I started to sweat through my new school clothes as they clung to my damp skin.

Weather aside, however, the walk to school was as it always was. The same familiar roads, the same busy crosswalks, and the same familiar houses and storefronts that I casually glanced at as I passed them by. Much to the same tune, the school also remained unchanged from the previous year, with the same old hallways, same old desks, and same old teachers. Not that anyone in their right mind would expect much to change in a single summer, but when you’re a kid, time seems to have many weird properties to it. Summers feel like years, and a year of classes feels like decades.

I remember the teacher being newer that year; a young and vibrant woman who must have just completed her own schooling, eager and happy to see all our young faces. New seating assignments and the new classroom atmosphere had all the kids of the class fidgety and rowdy as the energy of the summer still lingered in our bones. So eager and vibrant she was that she introduced herself gleefully and encouraged all of us to do the same. Naturally, since most of us already at least knew each other’s names, she got quite the hefty bemoaning from us all.

All, that is, except for one kid.

Shy, like myself, and standing only slightly taller than me and with a head full of shiny silvered hair was a new kid I didn’t recognize. Introducing himself as Steven, he went on briefly about how he moved here from Johto during the summer and was subsequently enrolled just before the school year started. Neutral and indifferent in all his expressions, he came off as slightly cold and uncharismatic even as the teacher continued to ask questions about his old home. Seemingly more concerned with other things that didn’t involve the rest of us, he began his walk back to his seat with a guise of indifference. While it was quite off-putting, I chalked it up to him simply being the new kid, and cast his introduction to the recesses of my mind along with all the rest.

However, as he began to approach his seat which sat two desks in front of me, whispers and sniveling in the last row which sat behind me caught my ears and piqued my curiosity for but a moment. I knew not why it was they were laughing or what they were laughing at, as they made it difficult for anyone to listen in on what they were talking about. Usually kids like those two, Derek and Adam, were kids that I tried to not associate myself with, as usually they were up to little or not good. So naturally, I paid them no heed at the time, as I simply assumed it to be them telling each other a joke or goofing off in some manner as they and all the other kids in the back of the classroom tend to.

Steven, however, did not. As he walked to his seat, he must have overheard something that I didn’t through their annoying giggling and laughter, casting them a curious glare which quickly snuffed out their shenanigans. Turning my sight back to them brought me only the sight of them awkwardly trying to avert their gaze from the new kid, for reasons that eluded me at that time. With a satisfied smirk, he simply sat himself down with a modicum of grace as if to dismiss what the ornery kids were doing as nothing worth his time or effort. 

It was at that moment I noticed something else with him, something else the other kids didn’t have. I didn’t know what it was at the time, but he carried himself with a level of maturity beyond his years; enough insight to know the kids must have been making fun of him, yet enough restraint to pay them little heed, even as their giggling continued long after his gaze was brought to the front of the class again. 

Coincidentally, having a prime seat right behind him meant I got to get a feel for what the new kid would be like. As unmoving throughout the morning as he was in his cold introduction, he listened and paid attention to the teacher without exception in an almost robotic-like trance. It was clear he didn’t much care for any of the other kids and what they had to say or ask. Every remark and all the comments and questions made to him by all the kids during breaks were answered simply and plainly, offering very little insight into who he was, what he was like, what his life was like, where he was from and why his family moved here. As enigmatic as he was, it was clear it wasn’t just some guise he was trying to fill, but rather merely a result of how he carried himself.

However, all of that information would come in due time after our first interaction together, which occurred during lunch time that same day. As loud and crowded as ever, finding a place to keep to myself within the lunch room was quite the hassle. Often I ended up having to sit at one of a few tables that were little more than conglomerations of like minded people that wanted to simply be left alone. This day, at one such table in particular, a large round table with at least a dozen chairs placed around it, sat Steven, who was attempting to mind his own business and eat a packaged lunch by himself away from others.

However, that same pair of our fellow classmates from earlier had different plans. Walking in closer, it became abundantly clear that the two kids that were sat at either side of him were attempting to elicit some sort of negative response from him, leaning in close to his face with displeasing grimaces, generally giving off the feeling that they were trying to bully him in some manner. While I couldn’t make out what they were saying over the cacophony of the lunch room, I knew that these two kids in particular were less than savory to be around, especially if they found any reason to fixate their attention on you.

Thankfully for myself, and soon too for Steven, I had a secret weapon against them that kept them away from me. A bit of blackmail and a bit of intimidation was more than enough to ward off the likes of those two, a secret long kept by myself that would now soon find itself in the hands of Steven as well.

“Hey, bozos!” I spoke up, pulling their attention away from Steven and on to me as I approached the table.

“What do **_you_** want Matt?” The shorter of them piped up, pushing himself up out of the chair, stomping his feet aggressively as he walked towards me.

“Leave the new kid alone, man.”

“Oh yeah?” He began, getting close into my face, “And what if I don’t?”

“Come on. You know _exactly_ what will happen if you don’t.” I stated plainly back, looking down to him as if he were some first grader. With a scoff and huff of his nostrils, he backed away slightly with a sneer of abundant displeasure.

“Still holding that over my head, huh? When are you gonna get a life you freakin’ weirdo!?” He barked loudly.

“When **you** decide to stop picking on others!” I shouted back, much to his dismay.

“Whatever...” Shaking his head, he sighed, turning around and picking up his lunch tray, “Let’s go sit somewhere else.” He remarked to his partner in crime, who promptly stood up and took his plate with him to some distant table far away from us. With a small smirk, I took a seat down next to Steven, whose eyes were curiously fixated upon the two trouble makers even after they were out of earshot.

“Don’t worry about them, new guy. They’re just a couple of idiots.”

“So it seems...” He remarked plainly, his eyes still upon them as if he was trying to glean something about them from their interaction.

“Steven was it?”

With his attention quickly taken away from the others, he turned to me with a smile, “Yes, and thank you for that!” Thanking me with a slight tone of grace, his attention was now set upon me as if my statement had snapped him out of some sort of trance.

“Don’t worry about it.”

“Do tell, how did you get them to back away like that?”

Trying to hold back my chuckling, I leaned back in my chair, “Caught one of them looking at a nude magazine last year in the men's bathroom in the art building.”

“Oh my!” He remarked, putting his hand over his mouth, “How crude.”

“Yup. Been holding it over his head ever since.”

“Blackmail. Quite interesting...” Looking me up and down as if he was looking over some sort of merchandise, a small grin curled at the corners of his mouth, “I take it they don’t mess with you much then, do they?”

“Yup.” I nodded, “And now they won’t mess with you either.” I winked, levelling myself in the chair again, “As long as they don’t want to get in trouble, that is.”

“How devilish.” He laughed, “But you needn’t do that for me, truly!”

“I mean, they’re just going to mess with you unless I get them to back off.” I shrugged.

With a chuckle, the small smirk curled into a large smile, “Alright then, if you insist.”

“Just don’t spill the beans, alright? I’d hate to have to come up with something new to get them off our backs.”

“Consider my lips sealed, then!” He proclaimed with a smile, taking a large bite from his sandwich, “So tell me, what was your name again?” He asked, putting one of his free hands forward.

“Matthew, but you can just call me Matt.” I replied, shaking his hand firmly.

“Well Matt, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Same! You’re from Johto, right?”

“Yes.”

“Whereabouts?”

“Goldenrod. It’s quite a large city at the center of the region. You might have heard of it.”

“I think I did somewhere, the name sounds familiar...” I responded, picking at my brain as to discern where perhaps I had heard of that city before.

“Probably on the news or weather channels or something. It is the largest city in the region so it usually takes all the glamour.”

“Yeah, that’s probably what it was.” I shrugged, resigning to my imperfect memory, “How big is it exactly?”

“Well, not much bigger than Rustboro, but there’s a lot more people that live in Goldenrod as opposed to here.”

“Oh really? How many?”

“I don’t really know for sure, but the roads and sidewalks in Goldenrod are notoriously crowded and quite busy.”

“So... I take it you like it here better then?” I continued.

“Err... kind of.” He began with a sigh, “It’s a hard adjustment, but the city is indeed nice. Nothing like home though.”

“Nothing ever is. At least the countryside here is even nicer!”

“I saw a good deal of it briefly on the boat ride here. It’s a lot more... dramatic than back at home.”

“What’s it like back home?”

“It’s very woods-y. There’s no other way to describe it really. Forests and plains as far as the eye can see. The only thing that stands out anywhere is Mt. Silver.”

“Kind of like Mt. Chimney here?”

“Yeah! Except it’s not a... giant molten volcano!” He laughed with a hint of nervousness in his voice.

“Don’t worry, it hasn’t erupted for hundreds of years!” I laughed in reassurance.

“Yeah, but that just means it’s overdue.” He chuckled, raising his eyebrows as the wavering in his voice grew.

“Well... how long has it been since you moved here?” I asked awkwardly, in an attempt to steer the conversation away from something that was as jarring as an erupting volcano.

“Me and my dad moved here in July.” He stated plainly, taking another bite from his sandwich.

“Oh, so not long at all.”

“Yeah...” He remarked in a morose tone that was partly masked by the food in his mouth.

“Well... what part of the city did you two move to?”

“The northern part, near the beaches. It’s a great house, honestly. Bigger than the one we had back in Goldenrod.”

“Oh, that’s nice!”

It was now I that found myself at the precipice of nervousness as I tried my best to play it cool. There are many weird things you pick up on as a kid that are seemingly disconnected or fragmented that you don’t really know how or why you remember them, but it sticks out in your mind all the same. One of these many facts that I was always acutely aware of was the fact that the houses in the northern section of the city tended to be those inhabited by the wealthy of the city.

Like, the _very_ wealthy.

“Say uh, did you have any friends back home?”

Casting his vision to the side, he drew in a deep breath, “Yeah, kind of. They were mostly buddies rather than friends, though.”

“You probably miss them, huh?”

“Yeah...”

“Do you have any friends here?”

“No...”

“Well... How’s about making one?” I asked with an exaggerated smile, perking myself up in my seat. Awaiting in anxious anticipation, I couldn’t tell if he was laughing with me or at me in that brief moment. For some reason, the childish logic in my head thought that if I didn’t make friends with him, he could use his money and power to buy my parents house or something else equally as weird or ridiculous. Whatever the reasoning, it mattered little, as his answer was one that would change the course of my childhood.

And to say it would send it careening off the side of a cliff would be a drastic understatement.

“Sure, Matt. It would be a pleasure to call you a friend.” He responded with a smile.

“Awesome! But before we’re officially friends, we have to settle the most important question of all.”

“Oh? What is that?”

“What’s your favorite pokémon?” I asked eagerly.

“My favorite?” He inquired with a hint of surprise, “Well that’s easy, tyranitar!”

“Ty-ran-i-tar?”

“Yeah! They’re these really tall, green rock pokémon that are native to the Johto mountains. They’re much bigger than an adult with big spikes on their back!”

“Ooooh, sounds cool! We have a pokémon kind of like that here too, actually!”

“Oh really?” He asked, his interest piqued.

“Yeah, it’s called aggron! They’re these big metal pokémon made of steel with horns on their head, they’re really neat!”

“Wow...” He remarked, complete awe on his face.

“There’s some pictures of them in some of the books we have in the classroom if you want me to show you during reading time.”

“Please do! If it’s anything like how tyranitar looks, I’ll bet it’s super cool!”

“They are extremely cool! They’re also really nice.” I started, before stopping myself, “Well, kind of. They’re territorial, but make sure that all the nature in their territory is well taken care of!”

“Well that’s pretty neat! tyranitars back at home are like that too, except they’re just nasty all the time. They’re incredibly territorial too and can get violent if you even think about going near one.”

With our attention now thoroughly fixated on the conversation at hand, it didn’t take long until we found ourselves at the end of the lunch block, beckoned back to our classroom by the ear-piercing ring of the school bell. Begrudgingly, we dragged our feet back to the classroom as our conversation came to its natural end. However, the small conversation that was lost to that lunch time would pale by comparison to the companionship we both gained. From that day on, at every moment we could get respite from the teacher’s talking, we would continue our previous conversations as if not having been interrupted at all. We found joy and happiness with each other’s company, and our lives would become forever changed for the better because of it.


End file.
